Ch.12- Aftermath; hunt for a new Hokage

Azure eyes stared hard in concentration at the balloon Naruto had clutched in the palm of his hand. It had been three days since he and Jiraiya had run into the duo of Itachi and Kisame, and three days since the Sannin had shown the blonde the rasengan. Since then Naruto had been working on the three steps that constituted the technique's makeup.

Finishing the first step had been a easy for Naruto to complete, taking only a few hours to get his chakra to move in multiple directions at once. While the second one had been the one that took the young chunin into the early mornings of his third day. Once he discovered which way his chakra naturally moved Naruto had little trouble completing phase two.

It was now, in the middle of his third day, that Naruto furrowed his brow at the difficulty of figuring out the third, and final, step.

Jiraiya had given him a rubber balloon, like the one he'd been given for the second step. Only this time, instead of popping it, the blonde's objective was keeping the technique inside the rubber without puncturing it.

Naruto had easily deduced that the trick to the A-ranked ninjutsu was being able to combine both of the first steps perfectly, but the blonde soon found such a thing easier said than done.

'pop'

With this latest failure Naruto decided to take a break from his training in the rasengan and take a look out at the town he and Jiraiya had stopped at, from his place in the trees. This was the last stop before they reached their destination of Tanzaku Town; the place Naruto had been told was where they'd find Tsuande. That thought had been a comfort for the blonde because it meant their mission would soon be over, as he had a lot on his mind.

Thinking of Tsunade lead to thoughts about kunoichi, and that had Konoha's newest chunin's mind working its way back to the letter he had received from the perverted Sannin on the day he'd been given his flak jacket.

Naruto grumbled under his breath as he took the room key from the receptionist, and then continued his muttering as he moved towards the stairs. Jiraiya, who had boasted about being a word-renowned ninja and author, turned out to be a large pervert. The white-haired man had been telling Naruto of how he'd been the teacher to the Fourth Hokage when a beautiful brunette woman captured his attention.

It was at this point Naruto realized what he'd been stuck with.

The blonde had watched the middle-aged man drop his jaw to the floor before babbling out some half-assed excuse, and then striding out of the hotel lobby and saddling up beside the woman.

It was pathetic, and had Naruto steaming. Sure, Kakashi was a pervert too, but the man had the decency to keep his foolish behavior hidden in the pages of dirty books. Books that, apparently, Jiraiya had written!

Was there some sort of club for these people or something?

For the young chunin it was mind-boggling; how could a shinobi allow themselves to behave that way? Sure, Naruto could understand throwing off your enemies by not broadcasting your power everywhere you went, but there was a thin line between being discreet and being eccentric. And Jiraiya clearly fell into the latter category.

As he unlocked the door to his room and moved inside, Naruto resigned himself to the fact that he would only need to put up with the Sannin until they returned this Tsunade woman to Konoha.

Breathing a sigh the blonde moved to one of the two beds and, after setting his stuff down, settled down on the mattress. Deciding he needed a distraction from the churning negative thoughts he'd just been having about his mission companion, Naruto let his mind wander to the letter he had in his backpack.

Jiraiya had given it to him when Anko had handed him his chunin vest, and informed him it was from the blonde's own mother. At the time Naruto had been forced to hold back his tears so as not to look like a baby in front of the Shinobi Council, but now, in the silence of the hotel room, the young chunin decided he could risk the heart-wrenching words written within.

Before he could even reach down for the sack on the floor, Naruto found his hands already trembling. Inside was a letter containing his mother's last words to him, and yet because of the many years of verbal and emotional abuse, Naruto found himself riddled with the unrealistic fear that those words would be nothing but hateful and degrading.

'But...that doesn't make any sense.' The blonde chunnin rationalized, as he firmly wrapped his fingers around the letter. 'A mother, MY mother, wouldn't do that. Not if they were dying; no one is that cruel.'

And so, with a deep breath Naruto lifted his arm out of his bag and brought the sealed envelope to settle in his lap. The mouth of the letter was sealed shut with a wax seal; one that, upon closer inspection, Naruto realized was the same red spiral found on the back of his new flak jacket. Aside from this, there was no other forms of signature though. The envelope was clean, and white...as if the paper hadn't aged a day.

Sapphire eyes narrowed in confusion at this little detail. If the letter from his mother had been written so long ago, why was there no faded edges to the envelope, no wrinkles or even dust? It was as if the letter had just been written yesterday.

Sure, letters and documents could be sealed away inside a scroll, but such things were usually done with a specific code from what Naruto had gathered from his independent studies. A code he couldn't imagine his mother just handing out to anyone; even the Sannin Jiraiya. And yet, as odd as the whole thing seemed, Naruto couldn't help the curiosity that still sat in his chest.

He could choose not to open the letter, and avoid what may be some sort of trap or lie, but if he went such a route then he may very well miss what could be something written from his own dead mother.

It was that possibility that made up the blonde's mind.

Careful not to tear into the letter within, Naruto broke the seal on the envelope and lifted the mouth open before pulling out the folded piece of paper inside. Letting the white envelope fall from his fingers Naruto took hold of the actual letter with both hands, before gently unfolding the creased parchment so as to read the words written within.

And yet, when his determined blue eyes settled on the first line, the words he found were nothing close to what he'd been expecting.

'Dear Naruto Uzumaki,

I am sorry to say that this letter is not from your mother, but it IS about her. So I implore you to read until the very end, as you may very well be the only one who can avenge her.

Kushina Uzumaki is dead, yes, taken from the world long before her time. For this, know that you have my deepest apologies.

Yet I feel an equally strong sense of sorrow for what I have to tell you next. Your father, Minato Namikaze is not the man many believe him to be. The Fourth Hokage was a puppet; a tool born and raised to act as the public face for a most heinous individual. THAT monster's name is Danzo Shimura. And while you deserve to know the truth about the night you were born, I feel telling anymore in this message would be too dangerous.

My apprentice will meet with you again, and if you feel ready to learn, will bring you to me.

I sincerely hope to see you soon, Naruto Uzumaki, for I feel that only by working together can we avenger Kushina and her legacy.

It was only seconds after that Naruto came face-to-face with Itachi and Kisame, so the young chunnin hadn't had any time to truly process what had been written in the letter. But now, in the solitude of his training, Naruto was able to let his mind attempt to wrap around just what he'd read, and the possibility of those words truth

Because if that letter was true, then the Third Hokage had hidden the truth and outright lied about Naruto's own existence his entire life; to the degree that, had Mizuku not purposely spilled the beans about the Nine-Tails Naruto would have had to hear about his status from Orochimaru in the Forest of Death!

That fact alone was almost enough to have the irate blonde believing what had been written. But no, what truly lead the last Uzumaki to believe whoever had written him was the pure emotion he'd felt while reading the letter.

At times the blonde could tell the messenger hesitated with some of their revelations, drops from their ink pen staining the paper, as if the next words caused them pain just writing it out. Whoever had written the letter was indeed regretful to inform Naruto of his mother's fate, but determined enough to keep writing so that he could be given some shred of truth.

The only problem now was how to proceed.

'First I have to get this lady, Tsunade, to become the Hokage I guess. From there I guess all I can do is wait for this 'apprentice' to show up. Then he would hopefully learn the truth about his parents, and the horrible fate he'd been dealt...right before he slit Danzo Shimura's throat if he found out the man had anything to do with taking his mother from him.

But first, it was time to get back to his training.

Deciding working on the jutsu Jiraiya gave him wasn't going to be enough to work out the fury in his blood, Naruto chose instead to create six clones, and unleash his Kubikiribocho. The enemies erupted into life through explosions of smoke, and formed a perfect circle around the original.

Tightening his fingers around the handle of the hefty blade, Naruto could see that his clones each carried the same enraged looks on their face's that he no doubt knew was settled onto his own. That just meant they'd come at him that much harder, and the blonde was glad for that.

Without warning one of the clones behind him rushed in, trying to run him through like he'd done with Dosu in the preliminary exam. But Naruto was ready for it, and pushed off his feet into a somersault to avoid the copy of his large blade.

However, before the young chunin could even land he was twisting away from clone number two as they leaped to meet him in the air. Striking out with his elbow, Naruto watched as the reinforced clone steeled itself against the viscous strike and retaliated with a swift spin-kick. Naruto let the blow come and once he was close enough, used his hands to catch himself against the grassy floor, before twisting his body in a circle to lash out at two more incoming clones with his own legs.

The third clone was caught by the cyclone of kicks but the fourth had managed to see the move coming, and unsheathed its copy of Kubikiribocho to attempt a mighty swing. Naruto, seeing this from the corner of his own eye, spun into a crouch before throwing up his zanbato to block his clone's copy. With a sharp 'clang' the blades clashed, and the two blondes were locked in a power struggle. This only lasted a moment though because the last two clones joined with the first to stage a triple assault on their creator.

The leading clone came in with a sliding kick meant to take out Naruto's legs, but when the chunnin jumped back to dodge it, the clone he'd been clashing with was forced to continue its' swing and brought down the blade of its' sword down to cleave the sliding clone in half. An explosion of smoke filled the air and blinded the other two incoming clones, giving Naruto the chance to activate the jutsu Anko had taught him during their mission.

When all the clones' vision were clear they all went on alert at seeing their maker having disappeared. Two held their large blades up in defensive positions, while the third opted to shape his hands and begin creating a mist.

Naruto, knowing there were still two more clones unaccounted for, knew he could not let such a thing come to pass and went on the offensive.

It was with a curse flying from its' lips that Naruto's clone cut his jutsu and jumped to avoid being decapitated by the original Kubikiribocho. Only to be surprised when the sword embedded in the dirt transformed into the original Naruto; whose next move was a silent wind jutsu. The force of the unexpected blow sent the clone flying for a moment before it too exploded in a puff of smoke.

Naruto didn't get any time to escape though because, after getting over their initial shock, one of his clones came rushing towards him. Thinking fast, the whiskered blonde whipped out his ninjato and blocked the clone's overhead strike. His muscles straining to hold back the much heavier blade, Naruto mentally swore when the shadow of one of his hidden clones revealed that they were attempting an aerial assault.

Chancing the threat of being sliced by the clone in front of him, Konoha's newest chunnin allowed his arms to slack before side-stepping his clone's oncoming zanbato. Unfortunately, the sheer force with which the clone had been pressing him with, and the close proximity of the attack, left Naruto to come away from the maneuver with a gash running from his shoulder to just above his elbow.

And even with the rising steam that showed Kyubi's power coming to close the wound, that did nothing to stave off the pain Naruto felt from having his flesh carved.

'Gonna have to practice that one a little more carefully then.' The blonde decided as he pushed off the ground to avoid further wounds being inflicted by his other clone.

Only, this seemed to be what the last two copies were waiting for; the last of each pair, one still on the ground and the other hidden from sight. Because a powerful elbow came crashing into the side of Naruto's face from out of the trees, right before a seal-less wind jutsu smashed against his back. Working his way into an airborne somersault however, Naruto then twisted his body so that he'd land on his feet, before flipping the ninjato in his hand into a defensive position.

His body tense, crouched, and ready Naruto eyed his four remaining clones with determination before thoughts of the letter came simmering back to the forefront of his mind.

The very thought of those words set the last Uzumaki's blood on fire, and his muscles bulged with fury as his canines sharpened and his pupil's morphed into vertical slits.

With a low growl rumbling in his chest Naruto leaped forward and Jiraiya, who was hidden in the trees, witnessed the power of the Nine-Tails jinchuurikiwith his own eyes. All four clones came at their maker at once, with equal numbered zanbato swinging and slicing through the air. Naruto shocked everyone though when his defensive tactic was to dive towards the ground, and roll under every swipe made at him before tumbling into a crouch.

From his place in the center of the circle the blonde was like lightning; his limbs moving with swift, but powerful precision.

Launching himself forward Naruto finished off the clone in front of him with a vicious ramming of his ninjato into the copy's throat, before tearing the blade out and whipping his hand around to destroy the one behind him with an over-powered wind jutsu. Its' strength being enough to rupture the bark of a few trees behind it as well as take out its target.

Naruto finished his assault with an aerial split-kick that easily snapped the necks of the remaining two clones before they too ceased to exist. Then, with no more enemies to fight, the blonde allowed his rage to slowly leave him.

It took time, but eventually Naruto's heaving chest returned to the slow rhythm of simple breathing, and his white-knuckle grip relaxed from around his ninjato's handle. These things made Jiraiya feel it was finally safe to approach the blonde.

"That was definitely...something kid. But not what I was expecting to find when I came looking for you; I figured you'd be practicing from the scroll the council gave you."

Naruto had jumped a little when the Sannin revealed himself, so caught up was he in his emotions that he hadn't sensed or smelled him. However, where just moments ago he'd begun to calm down, hearing the older man mention his mother brought back the memory of that letter. And with it, Naruto's anger.

But he held it back. Even though his caused his jaw to ache, Naruto managed to keep himself from flying off the handle and demanding answers from the white-haired man about the letter in his backpack. Instead, Naruto stalked over to where his sword was still buried in the earth and pulled it free before returning it to its place across his back. "Now isn't really the right time for that."

Jiraiya, who was about to question why that was, changed his thought when instead his interest was peaked by the way Naruto's shoulders tensed at the addition of his zanbato's weight.

"You know kid, I could make that sword of yours a little lighter if you'd like. It must be a chore to lug it around everywhere like that; plus I can't imagine you swing it very fast in a fight, no matter how strong you look."

Ears twitching at the news, Naruto turned an inquisitive eye over his shoulder. "Lighter; you can really do that?"

Jiraiya gave a shrug as he answered. "Of course, it's one of the more basic seals I know how to perform. How else do you think I carry around this thing on my back all the time?" The man's point was punctuated as he thumbed at the large scroll strapped across his shoulders.

"What would it take?" Naruto questioned, his interest truly peaked now.

"Nothing serious," the Sannin relayed. "But since it's made of metal I'll have to etch the seal into the blade itself. Of course if that doesn't work for you I could always write it along the handle; but that one wouldn't be as effective since the kanji wouldn't be solid, with the grooves of the handle and all you understand."

Sheathing his ninjato Naruto finally turned towards the older shinobi and gave serious consideration to the man's offer. Aside from compromising the sleek design of the executioner's blade, Naruto could find no true fault with the idea, and the benefit of surprise that would come when his enemies saw how fast he could swing was already well worth his decision.

"Alright, sure, I'll let you make my sword lighter...but now I've also got a question of my own for you. Will you teach me more about sealing? A friend from the village has already offered to teach me about storage scrolls and the sealing that goes into the practice, but with what you've just told me I can see there are many useful things seals can do...and I'd truly like to learn what those are."

Jiraiya's answer only came after his dark eyes shone with an incredulous light. Then, his brow rose towards his forehead protector, and his lips slid into a small smile that was filled with the man's memories. Something Naruto found a little unsettling, until the Sannin's next words filled the clearing.

"You know, it's almost like I'm standing here with the Fourth Hokage again. The earnest sound of your voice, and that look in your eyes, it's all so much like I remember him being when he'd asked to be my apprentice."

Hearing about the man who was said to be his father filled Naruto's gut with a sick feeling, one that only intensified at seeing the look in Jiraiya's eyes. He didn't know. The oddly-dressed shinobi had no idea that his former student might have been nothing but a puppet; a tool used by Danzo Shimura for his own sick plot. This knowledge pained the blonde, but it did nothing to change the course of his next words.

"Only I don't want to be your apprentice Jiraiya; I just want to learn about sealing. Whether that teaching comes from you, or the pages of a book, is all I'm trying to figure out right now. I'm learning the Yondaime's personal jutsu from you solely because you are the only person alive able to teach it to me, and I would be a fool not to take advantage of that knowledge. My goals, to honor the original Demon of the Mist and become Hokage will come to pass, with or without your help. The only question is, do you want to be a part of that story?"

The blonde's stern, yet calm refusal to being his next apprentice shocked Jiraiya to his core. Sure, he and the young chunnin had gotten off to a rocky start, but so had he and the kid's father. The Sannin had hoped to use their shared mission to get closer to the last Uzumaki, and hopefully foster a friendship that lead to apprenticeship.

Only to now hear that Naruto wanted no such thing. This pained the older man, but he tried to mask it with confusion as he asked why.

"There's more I can teach you besides Fuinjutsu Naruto, there's a number of techniques I know that I'm sure you-"

'No." Naruto cut the man off. "I don't think that I would, and I'll tell you why. I watched you during your little skirmish with Itachi; you don't kill. This isn't to say that you won't if it's absolutely necessary, but that's just it, against an enemy it is always necessary. My path is filled with dangerous battles where I will need to kill my opponent if I want to come out alive, and I won't be able to do that following your philosophies or learning your techniques. Please understand this, and I hope this does not change your mind on helping me learn the art of sealing."

"I...understand Naruto, and don't worry, it won't. But your first lesson will have to wait, because we're gonna head out and finish the last few miles to Tanzaku Town fast. If I know Tsunade as well as I'm sure I do, she's about to run out of money for their poker tournament and that'll mean she'll be on the move again. We need to catch her there, or else there's no telling where my old team-mate will disappear to."

"That's fine with me; I'd like to get this mission over quick anyway," Naruto responded with a shrug. Because he did want to bring Tsunade home fast, so that his search for Kushina Uzumaki could truly begin.

xXx

The blonde chunnin wasn't the only one battling with their emotions however, as back in Konoha one Kiba Inuzuka found himself once again kneeling at the plot of his family's compound meant for the burying of partners. The plaque in particular that held his attention belonging to Akamaru.

It was still new, and the bronze had yet to weather the storm of natures elements or the test of time, so Kiba could clearly make out the letters etched on the plate that spelled the little dog's name. And yet, even now, the ragged-looking Inuzuka could not bring himself to truly accept that his best friend was gone.

'No.'A rough, beastly voice rumbled angrily around in his head. 'Not gone,taken. That Uchiha filth murderedour partner! And he's going to pay.'

The unfortunate truth however, was that Sasuke Uchiha had just recently been returned to the village unconscious by Guy-sensei; and had yet to reawaken. Word from Squad 9 being that their instructor had received an urgent messenger bird, after it became apparent that the young heir was missing by Kakashi, had spread among the genin quickly when Rock Lee had heard of Sakura's distress over the missing Uchiha.

From there it passed around until finally finding its way to Kiba's own ears, and brought the first smile to the boy's face since the invasion.

A twisted, truly malicious smile.

But that smile was quickly dropped when the ramifications hit home for the highly stressed young clan member. If Sasuke was unconscious, Kiba could not challenge the other boy for revenge. And this in turn sent Tsume Inuzuka's son spiraling into another fit of rage. One only calmed when he sat by his dead partner's grave.

From his knees Kiba looked down at his hands, at his claws, and gently flexed all ten of his fingers. The rough, tanned digits popped as each of their knuckles cracked; so was the level of tension in Kiba's body. Kiba had noticed long ago that he was changing, transforming, but had no true idea what was happening to him.

All the Inuzuka knew was that his strength, his speed, his animal inside were all increasing; his power was growing. And this caused the, unknowingly, devolving genin's mind to rationalize that such enhancements must be some long-term side effect of the food pill he'd taken during the preliminary rounds of the exams.

'Yes, that's right.' The same guttural voice echoed to Kiba in his head. 'It's all just left overs from that pill; we've only just adapted to it, made its power our own. And when the time comes, we'll use this power to kill Sasuke Uchiha!'

Kiba's lips stretched grossly at the thought of Sasuke's mangled corps at his feet, the last Uchiha's blood staining both his hands as well as his face, while the eye he'd managed to save from Akamaru rolled uselessly between Kiba's pointed claws. Right before Kiba squashed it in his grip! Yes, the disheveled clan heir could see it clearly, could smell the coppery scent of blood in the air; could taste Sasuke's blood on his tongue from where he'd ripped into the pompous boy's throat. It was marvelous. It was vengeance. And it would be his.

All the while Kiba never noticed, that the stench of blood on his hands came from the way he'd dug his claws into the roughening pads of his own palms. Or that the taste in his mouth was from where he'd torn into his own gums after gnashing his teeth in blind rage.

And because he didn't have a mirror, Kiba couldn't watch as his red Inuzuka markings slowly stretched and wavered...until finally splitting in two.

xXx

Pale, lavender eyes watched as two other members of the Hyuga clan sparred intensely against one another. Neji Hyuga, although seeing it, still couldn't believe it as his cousin Hinata seemed to make easy work of her own younger sister. Someone he knew her to have difficulty with in the past. And yet, when Hanabi went to sweep her older sister's feet out from under her, Hinata easily avoided the maneuver before diving in with a swift knife-hand strike that ultimately turned out to be a feint for a vicious spin-kick.

Hanabi, unable to have seen such a move coming from her usually so traditional older sister, was promptly knocked away by the attack. From there it was a clear showing to see who was the victor; Hanabi's exhausted form only able to make a fledgling effort to rise, before slumping in defeat.

With the end of their spar Hinata let the tension leave her body and stood tall, her chin up and eyes focused...on the form of her father.

Hiashi Hyuga stood outside the boundary of the sparring ring looking in, his eyes hard and calculating while his jaw was set in a contemplative lock. The imposing leader of the Hyuga clan's eyebrows knit together a small fraction before easing up, and then Hiashi folded his hands inside his kimono and nodded. "Very good Hinata; your obtaining the rank of chunnin was indeed well-founded."

Hearing her father's praise sent Hinata's heart soaring, and she couldn't help the soft smile that tugged at her lips as she lifted her chin just that much higher. These were the first, truly positive words her father had spoken to her in years.

Motioning for both Neji and Hanabi to leave them, Hiashi waited until he was sure the two of them were alone before speaking again.

"With the defeat of your sister you have shown you are indeed ready to take on the training I mentioned earlier with the Village Council. Starting tomorrow I will personally begin instructing you in the more advanced forms of the Gentle Fist; everything from its fourth form onward, I will teach to you. This will also include showing you how to evolve your Byakugan."

Hearing that last bit of information overshadowed Hinata's initial excitement, as only those Main Branch members who made Jounin were ever shown just level three, and had the heiress look upon her father in confusion. "E-Evolve the Byakugan; father is such a thing really possible?"

"It is, although very few have ever achieved such a feat. Even among the Main Branch. I myself have only managed to unlock level two; and there is still a third recorded in our clan's history." To demonstrate, Hiashi focused his chakra and sent it into his eyes. The tell-tail veins of the Hyuga's dojutsuraised around the man's eyes before he opened them. The sight caused his daughter to gasp.

Where once there was only the slated pearl-like color of her father's eyes, now Hinata could see it replaced with a startling neon-white. The man's eyes gave off a soft glow in the shadows of the training hall, and this only added to the vibrancy of the single, rustic-orange ring settled like a pupil in her father's new eyes.

"Take a good look daughter, and see what you will be working towards starting in the morning. This is the second level of our family's dojutsu; Ten no hikari. The Heaven's Light, given due to its angelic white coloring, not only allows for the already enhanced vision of the Byakugan'slevel one form but also the ability to construct barriers.

It is where the idea of the Kaiten was born. However unlike the 'perfect defense', these barriers are fed by your own will; making its strength theoretically limitless, until you remember that such things still require the use of chakra. Another difference is in how these barriers can be applied. Where with the Kaiten it is solely in the form of a dome, the barriers constructed through the Tengokugan can be shaped and warped to suit a multitude of needs. The user's speed,and sense of reflex are also increased."

To further demonstrate Hiashi once again focused his chakra, and with a pulse of the orange ring in his eye the man formed a very real, round shield around his right forearm. It was about the size of any normal shield carried by a warrior, and perfectly round, but Hinata noticed that the neon-white construct was flat. It was simply a two-dimensional disk. And while this baffled the heiress for a moment, she then recalled her father's first lesson about the Tengokugan; the defensive strength was based on will.

Her father watched as these thoughts coursed through the girl's mind before speaking again, watching her face as it played out her realization; proud that his daughter was such a quick study.

"The clan's scrolls tell that, at level three the Byakugantrades this ability to give the user the means to further augment their attack strength. The user can not only create weapons, but their physical strength grows as well. The theory is that, should one break through level three, the Kishigan, then they would be endowed with both level two and three's power... thus it has been dubbed the Taitanzu Byakugan."

The Titan's All-seeing Eye; not just the perfect defense, or most powerful attack. No, Hinata understood that this fourth level to her family's dojutsuwas heralded by her clan as the true pinnacle of strength, a perfect balance of both to make the user the greatest fighter on the battlefield.

Someone the clan would no doubt name their new Head, should someone come to claim such power.

Which, to Hinata, meant that there was only one road open to her now. If she was to truly be recognized as worthy of becoming the leader of the Hyuga, she had to achieve the Taitanzu Byakugan. Only then would her clan consider her strong, only then would she herself consider herself worthy to confess her feelings to Naruto.

But Hinata wasn't the only girl thinking of Naruto at that time. Out in one of Konoha's many training grounds stood Ten-Ten, her normal chinese-style clothing replaced by a tank-top and leggings. The material met seamlessly with her smooth skin and rippling muscles as her legs moved swiftly to carry her across the field through her kata.

Finishing the dance, and leaping off the ground, Ten-Ten entered into a somersault that would have dodged an incoming attack while she flipped open the compartment of her newest sealing device, and called forth a handful of kunai which she let rain down into her imaginary blonde foe. Flipping backwards with the momentum, the bun-haired kunoichi then weaved through a few hand-signs before unleashing a low-level earth-style ninjutsu. "Earth-style: Meteor Shower!"

A volley of fast-moving balls of compacted mud form between the older girl's lips, before smashing into the grass and dirt below. The dust cloud the impacts made were the perfect cover for Ten-Ten as she flipped open another compartment of her belt and summoned a large, spiked iron ball attached to a thick chain and let it rocket into the shroud.

With her session done for the day, the bun-haired kunoichi let gravity take over and drop her back to the ground. It was as she was returning her weapon to its place in her belt that Ten-Ten noticed she had company.

"Dad, how long have you been there?" The shocked brunette wondered, before adding,"And if you've been there for a while why didn't you join me?"

Sanosuke chuckled as he moved from his post against a tree. Walking over to his daughter, the former mercenary gave his answer. "I showed up about half an hour ago, and I didn't say anything because you were so focused. I didn't want to ruin that for you; I know how important your 'Naruto Time' is to you."

Ten-Ten's sheepish smile quickly crumbled into a look of indignant embarrassment, and while she knew the blush couldn't be seen by her father, the nervous kunoichi could still feel the increase in heat to her cheeks.

"W-What!? Dad I was training; this had nothing to do with Naruto!"

"Oh?" The spiky-haired gambler taunted good-naturdely. "Then who was it you were pretending to fight; I've only ever seen you so focused when you were training for the Chunnin Exams."

"That's because Naruto is a strong opponent dad; you saw what he's capable of during our match. It took everything I had just to keep up, and even then I found out he wasn't even fighting at full strength."

Here Ten-Ten's head dropped, and she turned her eyes away in shame. "He didn't even use his secret power."

This bit of news caused Sanosuke's own brown orbs to widen in shock, as he immediately guessed what his daughter was talking about. However, out of hope that she meant something other than the Nine-Tailed Fox, Sanosuke prodded Ten-Ten for an answer.

"Secret power, whatdya mean Ten-Ten? What did the kid do?"

"It was while he was fighting that powerful kid from Suna; Gaara. I'd come to help him after being patched up by the medics, but wasn't able to put a dent in the guy no matter what I tried. I-I was pretty sure I was gonna die dad. But then Naruto got up again and, what he did to the guy, it was just...amazing." Ten-Ten finally lifted her head again, and let her father see the awe etched clearly on her face as she continued her story.

"It was like he was on fire, dad. There was this red chakra surrounding him, almost like a shroud, but it moved like liquid fire. There was so much heat, the bandages around Naruto's mouth just burned away. He was even smoking; little trails of the stuff coming off him as if he were being fried.

Yet it didn't even seem to faze him, and then...he moved. I-I don't know what the technique is, but I've never seen someone move or fight like Naruto did after that; not even Guy-sensei. There was this—this ferocity to him dad, almost like with the pill I mentioned Kiba taking, but much more controlled. He even cut off one one of Gaara's arms."

The bun-haired kunoichi stopped then, and took a deep breath when she realized that she'd been talking non-stop to retell her story. However, before she could continue it Ten-Ten saw her father hold up his hand in motion to quiet her. Curious of what her father had to say, the wired teen gave him her full attention.

Seeing that he did in fact have her attention, Sanosuke regarded his daughter with a single, raised eyebrow. "So this strange chakra you saw Naruto use, and the power it gave him, it didn't scare you? Not even a little bit?"

"Scare me?" Ten-Ten repeated the question, though her tone was one of disbelief.

"Why would Naruto scare me? I mean sure, we didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but while I was in the Forest of Death I'd realized that had been more my fault. After meeting up with him again we've been nothing but friendly; he even agreed to help me with my dream. Besides, I was more upset than angry. How come Naruto didn't use that power against me during our fight dad; you don't think he was holding back on me do you?"

Sanosuke's answer was a chuckle, before offering a sincere smile. "No Ten-Ten, I don't, and I'm glad to hear you tell me there is no fear in your heart towards Naruto. And you already know how I felt about your little spat with him during the exams. Unfortunately, that power you witnessed is something you'll need to speak with him directly about, because it's something I have no right to tell you about."

"B-But he's on a mission right now, and I don't have any idea when he'll be back." The bun-haired brunette cried out. "Can't you just tell me dad, please?"

"Only if you want me to turn around and tell the kid about how you can't stop thinking about him." Sanosuke joked. The incredulous, open-mouthed look his daughter gave in return was priceless.

"I-I do not think about Naruto that way dad, I already told you that! He's a friend, and a training partner, that's all! So no, you can not tell him that!" Ten-Ten shouted in embarrassed outrage.

The girl's father only shrugged, a victorious grin pulling at his lips. "Alright then, since I can't tell Naruto your secret, I won't be able to tell you his either. Fare enough, don't you think?" Then, before his daughter could offer a rebuttal, Sanosuke turned and began exiting the training ground. "Now come on, I'm starving, and last time I checked you haven't had lunch yet."

Ten-Ten stood for a moment, gawking in disbelief at her father's flippant exit, before growling and running after him. "Fine, but you're paying this time. I'm the child, not the other way around, you should be the one treating me!"

Catching up to her father Ten-Ten shook her head to rid it of the teasing words he'd spoken earlier. She did not like Naruto Uzumaki that way.

Besides, it was perfectly normal to think your friend was handsome.

xXx

While Hinata and Ten-Ten thought about Naruto, the blonde in question was only focused on watching Jiraiya carve his seal into the base of Kubikiribocho. Sharp, sapphire eyes trained solely on the older man's hands as he slowly etched the lines of his technique. He didn't want the Sannin to screw up and ruin the blade after all.

However, for the sealing expert under scrutiny Jiraiya found the blonde's literal take on looking over his shoulder to be a bit much. Finally having enough of the young teenage chunnin breathing down his neck, Jiraiya stopped, and turned to Naruto. "Hey kid, do you mind backing off just a little? It's pretty nerve wracking having you so close."

"I thought you were only into women., was the blonde's quick reply. "Unless that was a lie, this shouldn't be a problem you old perv. Besides, I've gotta make sure those old man hands of yours don't suddenly cramp up and ruin my sword."

The white-haired Sannin's face folded into a scowl at the barbs to both his sexual preferences and age, and he scoffed in indignity before responding.

"You sure talk a lot for someone who probably hasn't even been kissed by a girl, so how about you think on that before questioning my sexuality kid. As for your sword, I've almost finished, so don't get your underwear in a bunch alright. You say the integrity of the sword means a lot to you, well, I need to go slow so I don't make a mistake; I haven't exactly practiced this type of seal application before ya know."

"But you said yourself, you're a master of Fuinjutsu." Naruto inquired with a crease of his own brow in confusion. "Shouldn't this be easy for you?"

Jiraiya made the wise decision not to split his focus between his work and Naruto's question, to further demonstrate his point as he spoke. "I am a master, the world's leading expert in fact since the Yondaime's death, but what that really means is that I have more knowledge and understanding of seals and how they work than anything else. Yes, I've practiced their battle applications myself on numerous occasions, but that's usually the larger and more versatile types, not something small like a weight-release seal. Being a master at something doesn't make you perfect at it, it just makes you exceptionally good in that field, because even a master has to keep practicing or else they won't be a master anymore."

Listening to Jiraiya's words, Naruto thought back to the day he'd met Zabuza and how Kakashi had praised him for being second to none with the silent killing technique. Knowing himself how hard it was to not make a single sound while searching for your opponent in the mist, the blonde realized just how much skill the former Jounin must have truly had in order to be counted among the rank of master in such a field, and just how much the man must have practiced it to get there.

Pondering this further as his older traveling companion went back to work, the chunnin realized that he needed to work a lot harder if he ever hoped to even equal Zabuza as the Demon of the Mist, let alone surpass him.

'Because Kisame was just playing with me earlier.' Naruto recalled while folding his arms over his chest. 'There's no way, if he'd been serious, that I would have survived that fight. I don't even think using the Kyubi's chakra like I had against Gaara would have been enough; I need to seriously figure out a way to close that gap, and fast. There's no telling when he, Itachi, or another one of their little group will be back to hunt me down.'

Naruto had learned of the Akatsuki from Jiraiya after his run I with the two cloaked members back during the start of their mission. The Sannin had explained what his spy network had managed to compile of the group, and how they were intent on gaining the powers of every tailed beast in the country.

However, their membership roster was a huge question mark; only increasing in size as one was left to wonder, just what type of person would Itachi Uchiha readily work for?

The only thing Naruto was sure of, was that in order to keep the Nine-Tails out of their hands he would need to become much stronger than he was now, or risk dying before finding his mother.

So deep in thought was he about this though, that Naruto didn't once hear Jiraiya call his name. The blonde only responded when the older man smacked him in the head, which caused the young chunnin to squawk in outrage.

"What the hell was the that for, ya old perv!?"

"You didn't answer when I called your name, so it was the only other way I could think to get your attention." The Sannin glowered before presenting the blonde with his sword. "Here, I'm done. I've made it so the thing will feel about as light as a training sword; just light enough so you don't over exert yourself swinging it around I figure. But the trade off is that now, when you clash with anyone else, you won't have that extra weight to bear down on them with; it'll all be about how strong you are now."

Hearing this worried the blonde however, though not for the reason one may think. "But won't that make the blade easier to break?"

Jiraiya just shook his head as he motioned for Naruto to follow him, before leaping into the trees.

"No, the seal doesn't work that way, it didn't change the over-all property of the sword. The metal is still just as dense, because that's how it was forged, the elemental weight is just less now. Think of a diamond; even the smallest piece is just as hard as the biggest piece ever mined, yet their weights are considerably different. It all comes down to the property of the element itself, and your sword is made of some pretty tough stuff, so I wouldn't worry too much about it breaking if I were you. How about instead, you try thanking me for even offering to do it for you?"

Naruto was about to dismiss the older man as he leaped alongside him, jumping from tree to tree, when he realized just how much faster he was able to move now. His shoulders were even relaxed. Realizing how much of a difference this would make for him, the blonde chunnin gave the Sannin a side glance and nodded. "You're right, thank you for doing this, I appreciate your efforts in helping me master this sword."

From there it was a quiet trek through the trees, with neither one having much to talk about until Naruto recalled something Jiraiya had said back in the village.

"Ya know, you still haven't told me any stories about my mother you perv. Were you just making up knowing her to get me to come with you, or did you really meet her?"

Jiraiya turned bewildered eyes on his younger charge before chuckling deeply. "Sorry, I'd forgotten about that all things considered, but I did know her Naruto. As you now know, her name was Kushina, and she was not only one of the village's most beautiful woman but also one of its most skilled kunoichi.

She was known as the Red-Death because of her hair color; when she moved all her enemies saw was the red streak of it before being cut down. Kushina's skills with a blade were unmatched in the Leaf too, although she used a more traditional katana rather than a butcher's blade, with her speed making her one of the top ten fastest ninja in the village as well."

"I kinda gathered all that from the way everyone talked about her in the Council Hall. "Naruto replied a little deadpanned, but then his eyes took a bit of a downcast as he spoke again, this time his tone soft and hopeful. "What I really wanted though, was for you, or anyone really, to tell me what she was like...as a person. I-I don't want tales of her mission history, or how many enemies she's cut down, I just want to know what type of woman my mother was before-"

"Before she died." Jiraiya finished for the blonde, his own dark gaze softening at the pained expression on Naruto's face. "I get it kid, and I'm sorry I didn't realize that sooner, but I'm sorry to say that I didn't really know her outside of missions. I-I wasn't the type of guy she hung around ya know, me being what I am, she wasn't much for perverted behavior. Sorry I can't be more help Naruto."

Of course the Sannin knew that wasn't entirely true, but how could he possibly explain that he was Naruto's Godfather of all things without the young shinobi blowing a fuse at the revelation?

He'd seen how the blonde had reacted to learning that Jiraiya hadn't been around to save Hiruzen from death, and the white-haired man had no wish to see what type of fury would be unleashed should he ever learn that, the one person legally responsible for taking care of him, simply hadn't? Jiraiya inwardly shuddered at the very thought.

For Naruto however, the man's lie only worsened his mood

But that would have to wait, he realized. Especially since they had just arrived at Tanzaku Town.

Stepping through the entrance to the town's gate, sapphire eyes took in the grandiose gambling city and its multitude of casinos and brothels. There were some that stood two and even three stories tall, most decorated in lavish excess, with large neon signs calling to passerby's like a silent siren song. Gaudy golds, and hot pinks trimmed most of the bordellos, while woman stood out front with rough-looking security in an effort to temp single men as they passed.

When one such woman, a beautiful blonde in what Naruto generously thought of as underwear, crooked seductively at him in particular however the young chunnin had to look away with a soft blush creeping into his cheeks. Naruto may have invented the Sexy Jutsu, but the young teen had never actually given thought to activities involving the fairer sex beyond a simple kiss. Yet here, in Tanzaku Town, he was being offered so much more; in broad daylight no less!

Unfortunately for the young Leaf shinobi his embarrassment did not go unnoticed by the older man beside him, as made apparent by Jiraiya's boisterous laughter.

"Wow kid, I was only joking earlier, but from the look on your face you'd think you'd never even seen a girl before. Where's all that suave I saw you use back with that flower girl in the village?"

"Flower girl?" Naruto speculated before remembering speaking with Ino before departing. "You mean Ino; what about her? I wasn't hitting on her or anything like that, if that's what you're implying. I was just talking to a...well, I wouldn't say we're friends, but she's a fellow ninja and I was just making sure she was okay after the invasion—and why are you looking at me like that!?" The blonde bellowed with a strong crease of annoyance furrowing his brow.

Jiraiya was indeed giving Naruto a look; one of disbelief to be exact. Because where he'd been standing, as he recalled that 'talk', the Sannin could clearly see the glowing flicker of a crush light the young kunoichi's eyes with each soft word Naruto had spoken. And yet, from what that same blonde knucklehead was saying, he hadn't noticed it all! Did the kid really not understand that he'd been slowly wooing his 'fellow ninja' with his velvety words of comfort!?

"You've gotta be kidding me Naruto," the white-haired Sage sputtered. "You aren't really that dense are you; you're just pulling my leg. Right?"

By this point Konoha's jinchuuriki was getting fed up with his companion's ridiculous face, and huffed back a response in a hope of ending the conversation. "No, I'm not, and I still don't understand what you're going on about you old perv. Whatever it is you think I was doing, you're wrong, so how about you just wipe that dumb look off your face so we can finish finding this Tsunade woman you've dragged me along to look for."

With that, the young chunnin lengthened his stride in an effort to not only speed up his own search, but force Jiraiya to keep up with him as well. After all, he couldn't get any real training done until he was back in Konoha.

Naruto's attempt worked, and the older ninja did drop the conversation to keep up with him, but that didn't stop Jiraiya from shooting the young blonde incredulous looks and muttering to himself.

Naruto didn't know why his mission partner was grumbling about him, "not understanding his power with woman," but the swordsman personally preferred it to the man's constant spew of stupid questions. So, he kept his own mouth shut, and just let the Sannin brood. The two shinobi walked only a few more feet before Naruto's eyes finally settled on something he hadn't noticed because of his earlier case of shyness. A castle.

But not just any castle; this castle was huge.

Of course Naruto had never personally seen any other castles, but he'd seen pictures of them in his textbooks at the academy during history lessons, and yet looking at one of the large constructs with his own eyes was vastly different from seeing a printed picture on a page.

The stronghold was easily the largest structure in the town, dwarfing even the three-story casinos in its great shadow. It was also surrounded by its own wall, giving it added protection beyond that of the one circling the town itself, although this one looked to be made from a sturdier grade of stone than what protected the average citizen. It and the castle were a pristine white color trimmed with a royal blue; the shingles that made up the many patches of roofing being of a soft brown, almost bronze shade. Naruto couldn't help but look upon the castle with awe...until he realized one odd fact.

There were no guards.

In fact, the entire expanse of the castle seemed deserted. Something that puzzled the blonde chunnin, and had him cocking his head in thought. Deciding to brave listening to the man's voice again, Naruto turned his eyes to Jiraiya and asked the man about the castle. "Why does it look like nobody lives there?"

"Because nobody does; at least not for the last fifty years. After the forming of the Great Ninja Villages, and the formation of the shinobi military structure, warlords like the one who lived here were quickly snuffed out. They were seen as a threat to the stability of peace, as they fed and profited on the deaths of thousands, and would start wars over the most trivial of matters in order to expand their reach of power. Now, the place is a tourist attraction because of all the beautiful artwork and handmade furniture or tapestries found inside."

Naruto let the information fill his brain, and filed it away as a topic of interest to research upon returning home. Warlords, he found, sounded scarily similar to some of the most famous ninja to have lived as well. His mind instantly pictured the image of Orochimaru from the Chunnin Exams, and the founder of the Uchiha clan he'd seen in his book at the academy, both men seemed the type to sacrifice any number of lives for selfish gain; and yet they were still revered for their legendary strength.

It was mind boggling to say the least.

And then Jiraiya spoke again, this time his voice taking a sarcastic tone. "But as interesting as that castle's history is, I don't think we'll be finding Tsunade anywhere inside there; I think we'd have better luck checking one of the casinos. But that's just my opinion, ya know?"

Naruto understood the older man was taking a shot at the blonde's earlier insistence to search out the female Sannin, so he didn't bother with a verbal retort. Instead, the young chunnin just shrugged in a nonplussed fashion and said, "You know what you're right. I shouldn't be stalling us with a history lesson, let's go."

Jiraiya had no doubt heard tales of the loud knucklehead from the villagers of Konoha, so Naruto decided he was going to make sure he gave the man the exact opposite of what he'd been expecting. The sound of the white-haired man sucking against his teeth from a missed chance to poke at his storied brashness was more than satisfactory for Naruto in the end anyway.

So the pair went on with their search...until an eruption of a large dust cloud exploded through one of the sides of the very castle Naruto had just been looking at.

Both the blonde and his Sannin partner immediately leaped from their place in the streets and rushed through the village to reach Tanzaku Castle. Bouncing off rooftops, and angling off walls back to the ground whenever it was the only option the duo covered the distance quickly, but what they found upon arrival was nothing like what they were expecting. And yet, the image that greeted Naruto was more than enough to get his blood boiling.

Standing, in the middle of one of the castle pathways, was Orochimaru. And to his immediate right was Kabuto Yakushi. When his focused gaze settled on the bespectacled teen Naruto growled deep in his throat. He'd had his suspicions of course, but seeing the proof that the older boy was working with the S-ranked criminal that had dared to attack his home produced a swiftly building sense of rage within the blonde's gut. There was no telling what sort of information Kabuto had handed over to the snake Sannin before the invasion, nor just how many innocent lives the traitor had taken during the battle.

However, what the blonde didn't know, was that these feelings were being amplified and taking from the already powerful senses of fury born form reading about his mother. Without realizing it, Naruto was subconsciously projecting those feelings onto the current situation, and stoking the smoldering coals within.

It was all too much for Naruto to take, and ignoring both the two women standing only feet away from the pair as well as any sense of attempting a surprise attack, the blonde roared out in outrage.

"YOU TRAITOR!"

While Naruto's cry drew the attention of everyone down on the ground, Jiraiya turned to give the young chunnin a sharp look for his foolishness. He had just been about to tell Naruto to stay put so they could listen in on what was said, but now that plan was torn to pieces!

"Oh, Naruto, how nice to see you again." Kabuto greeted with false innocence. The older boy's face did however shift into a look of real surprise when he took notice of the flak jacket the blonde wore over his high-collard shirt. "They made you a chunnin? How unexpected; although with how lousy their picks were, I suppose they had to give the vest to somebody."

Orochimaru, his arms wrapped heavily in bandages, gave the blonde only a fleeting look of surprise before realizing that his old team-mate was standing right next to him. Upon this realization the snake-like man's face slid into a very deep scowl. With his arms out of commission, the powerful shinobi knew that he was at a severe disadvantage against hi fellow Sannin even with his superior skill. And that wasn't counting the possibility of Tsunade joining the battle.

Jiraiya quickly took notice of the pasty-faced rogue's vicious stare, and raised his brow in interest at seeing the man's wrapped arms.

"Well, well, Orochimaru; I certainly didn't expect to be seeing you in Tanzaku Town. Don't tell me you've taken an interest in gambling as well? Or, could it be our wayward team-mate has sought you out for a loan?" The white-haired Sannin finished his greeting by turning his dark eyes on the beautiful, platinum-blonde woman standing against the blown hole in the wall.

Naruto didn't notice or hear any of this though. His anger had just about completely taken over, and he was near seeing nothing but red as he continued to stare into the condescending eyes of the traitorous Kabuto.

"You know," the silver-haired teen crooned in a most unpleasant manner. "If you've got something to say Naruto, you need to say it, otherwise I'll think you're just staring to admire, and sadly for you I don't happen to swing that way."

The irrationality of his next actions didn't even register with Naruto as the blonde coiled like a spring, and shot forward like a bat from hell. His roar once again filled the air, while his blinding speed shocked not only Jiraiya but Kabuto as well. It was only through years of experience that the bespectacled teen twisted to avoid being gutted by his would-be assassin's ninjato. And before either of them could make another move, it was Orochimaru's jaw wrapping around the Kabuto's shoulder and Body-flickering away that put a stop to the fight.

"Damn it!" The snake-like Sannin cursed as he reacted to Naruto's launch from the castle. Shooting a quick glance in Tsunade's direction to remind her of his offer, Orochimaru managed to snag his right-hand man around the shoulder and flicker away before anymore risks could be taken. It would seem Kabuto was in need of a remedial lesson on keeping his mouth shut!

Once the villainous pair were gone Jiraiya leaped from his perch and dropped down beside a Naruto who was huffing, and puffing, and looking all sorts like the wolf ready to blow somebody's house down. Jiraiya also took note of how the boy's hair had begun to shag, and his already feral whiskers thicken. Seeing this worried the Sannin, but also made him curious; surely that other boy's apparent treason wasn't enough to bring about such a ferocious response? Naruto was many things, Jiraiya was finding out, but in need of anger management he was not. So what was the problem?

'A thought to ponder for another time, unfortunately.' The middle-aged shinobi thought with a sigh. Looking over at a wary looking Tsunade and shocked Shizune, Jiraiya finally reached out...and smacked Naruto across the back of his head.

"Hey! What the hell-"

"That's what I'd like to know, what the hell is wrong with you kid? What kind of chunnin appears on the scene with two dangerous criminals, the element of surprise on his side, and gives it away!? I'm seriously considering going back to the village and having this marked in your service record Naruto; what you did was foolish, and in a real-time mission could wind up getting someone killed."

The blonde currently being berated for his earlier behavior could only listen, as Jiraiya gave him no chances to intervene on his own behalf. And yet, as the older shinobi continued his dress down of his reckless behavior, Naruto found that beyond the fog of his anger and pain that the Sannin was indeed right.

He had behaved just as he would've before his mission to Wave; before his oath at Zabuza's grave. The shame swelled up inside of Naruto's chest and he hung his head with the weight of such failure weighing on his shoulders.

"I...understand; and I promise, it won't happen again. You have my word." He replied in a heavy tone. It had been a long time since he'd behaved in such a manner, but it seemed he wasn't all grown up just yet like he'd thought. The bitter realization was difficult to swallow.

However, in an effort to fan some of the heat off himself, Naruto turned his gaze on the two woman still standing only feet away and muttered to the Sannin. "What about them; didn't you say something about one of them being that Tsunade woman we're looking for?"

Hearing her name come from the lips of a random stranger, the blonde woman known as Tsunade took a step forward, a frown marring her otherwise flawless face.

"What's this I'm hearing; what is it with you and the rest of my past coming back to haunt me Jiraiya? I'm positive that I made it perfectly clear, the day that I left, that no one was to bother me. Or have you forgotten?"

"The village has not forgotten, but something's happened that vetoes your private traveling pass Tsunade. The Third Hokage is dead, killed by the very man you were just speaking too, and it has been decided by the Village Council that you are to become Konohagakure's Godaime. I'm here simply to bring you home, since I doubt you'd have liked hearing any of this from some faceless Anbu." Jiraiya answered, an authoritative tone shifting into a humorous chuckle at the end.

That chuckle was met with an unladylike snort as Tsunade rebuffed the offer. "Hokage? No thanks; I've got no interest in taking on that idiotic mantle. You of all people should know this Jiraiya, so I can't understand why you wasted your time even coming here."

"Because it's in your blood Tsunade," Jiraiya firmly replied. "As the great-granddaughter of the First Hokage, and great-niece of the Second, just your name will be enough to inspire the village. And that's to say nothing of your legendary skills on both the battlefield and the medical corps; you were the chief physician throughout the entire Second Great Ninja War.

The Council realized that there was no better candidate, and once you open your eyes and see it too we can all be on our way home, until then though how about you explain just what it is I heard you and Orochimaru talking about a minute ago?"

The shock on his old team-mate's face, coupled with the worry that enveloped Shizune's own told Jiraiya all needed to know in order to believe that he'd struck a nerve. In truth, he actually hadn't managed to catch a word of what the other two Sannin had been discussing, but Tsunade and her apprentice didn't know that. But the Toad Sage knew that neither would openly discuss it if they thought he hadn't already overheard.

"Seeing as how it was me he was talking to I don't see how it's any of your business Jiraiya; and nice try, but if you'd really heard any part of that conversation I doubt you'd be so calm."

"Whatever he's promising you, for whatever help he needs, Tsunade you can't believe him. Orochimaru is a fiend, a true snake through and through, and I promise you that his word is just as twisted and vile as the man himself. When he gives you whatever he promised, it won't be in the way he's painting it to look in your head; it won't be fairy tale, but a nightmare."

Tsunade made a valiant attempt at keeping her eyes locked with her former team-mate's, but in the end her stern mask flickered, for only a moment, but it was enough for Jiraiya.

"I know what you lost Tsunade; I was there, remember? And while I wont ever attempt to say I know how you felt, how you still feel, but you've got to remember that I lost someone to the title of Hokage too. Minato may not have been my blood, or my lover, but he was the closest thing to a son I've ever had...and I'll never see him again. It hurts, and the pain will never leave me, but I know that Minato wouldn't want me putting my own soul on the line just for a brief chance to see him again; just as I know Dan or Nawaki would want you too either."

The mention of the Fourth Hokage grabbed Naruto's attention again, but the blonde held back the sour face he felt coming on after hearing of Tsunade's lost loved ones. Looking at her troubled face the chunnin could easily make out the intense pain just saying their names brought on for the beautiful kunoichi. It made him empathize with the female Sannin; no one should ever have to lose a loved one to war. And yet here was a woman who had seemingly lost everything, all because of other people's greed.

Unfortunately, Naruto must have been looking too long, because Tsunade was soon staring him right in the eye.

Honey-gold locked with sapphire-blue, and the two ninja held that staring contest for another few seconds before Tsunade finally spoke. "And who are you, young man; don't tell me you're this buffoon's newest apprentice?"

Chuckling lightly at the distasteful look the older woman passed between Jiraiya and himself Naruto answered. "No, nothing like that Lady Tsunade, your old team-mate already knows I have no interest in following in his footsteps. I am Naruto Uzumaki, recently promoted chunnin, and mission partner to Jiraiya. I was sent with the old perv to bring you home; if not to become the next Hokage, then perhaps just to borrow your medical talents to heal both my own team-mate and sensei?"

Raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow towards her hairline Tsunade offered her fellow blonde a kind smile, right before sending an amused look in Jiraiya's direction and taunting him.

"Wow you old toad, too bad you couldn't trick—I mean convince this kid to become your student too. The Fourth was a nice enough kid, but he was always too quiet for my tastes, he never said more than a few words to me whenever I saw him. At least this blonde seems normal, rather than like a robot."

"If you're both done with the disrespect, I'd like to sit down and talk about a few things Tsunade. Mainly your returning to Konoha, and even this little deal you've struck with Orochimaru-"

"Lady Tsunade hasn't accepted any deal!" Shizune cut in sharply, her onyx eyes a fierce representation of her ire. But then, remembering who she as talking too, as well as how much Tsunade disliked being spoken for, Shizune stepped back and bowed her head. "I-I apologize, to both of you, I spoke in anger at what I perceived as disrespect to my Lady and forgot that she has her own voice to answer with."

"There's no harm in it this time Shizune." Tsunade comforted her apprentice with a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, and then surprised her with her next words. "And you're right, I technically haven't accepted any deal yet."

Shizune's onyx orbs bugged in disbelief. "B-But Lady Tsunade-"

"Enough Shizune." Tsunade cut her apprentice's rebuttal short. "Jiraiya just said he was going to pay for lunch while we discuss why I should, or should not, take my old team-mate up on his offer. And if I don't, we'll talk about how to handle Orochimaru tomorrow."

"He only gave you a single day to decide?" Naruto questioned as they all started walking. "That doesn't sound like a long enough break to make a decision to me."

"He was probably hoping to play off her emotional state," Jiraiya explained. "Before we arrived, and even after Orochimaru escaped, Tsunade was clearly in a state of imbalance. This is understandable based on what I'm now sure my old team-mate was offering, and it's easy to see he was hoping to use that to get Tsunade on board with whatever scheme he's cooked up."

Naruto thought about that, and found Orochimaru's tactic to be dangerous but effective. He only needed to think back to the look on Tsunade's face from earlier for proof.

And although such manipulation to get what one wants sounded obvious now that he'd had it explained, and yet the blonde knew he would have never personally thought to deploy such a skill. This vein of thinking then flowed to thoughts of Naruto's own team-mate, Sasuke, and how Orochimaru may attempt to manipulate him to gain the Uchiha's Sharingan.

These thoughts caused the blonde to lose focus on the conversation around him, until a hand on his shoulder forced his feet to stop.

Looking startled for a moment Naruto lifted his eyes from where they'd been looking at the dirt road, and over to the large hand halting his forward movement. It was Jiraiya. The Sannin was giving him a curious look, one that the young chunnin matched until he noticed that they'd actually stopped in front of a tavern.

"So we're eating here?" Naruto inquired wearily. It was clear from the way his face pinched, that the blonde didn't like the idea.

"Oh relax kid, no one's dragging you in here to shove drinks down your throat." Jiraiya waved off the younger shinobi's concerns. "Besides, Tsunade picked the place, and it'd be impolite to deny her."

Naruto's only response was to roll his eyes before moving past the Sannin and into the building. Once inside he was immediately hit with the strong aroma of alcohol and cheap food; his nose wrinkled in disgust. Scanning the tavern, the blonde quickly managed to find who he was looking for and went over to the booth Tsunade had picked and sat down. Seconds later he was joined by Jiraiya, and together they watched as the beautiful woman sitting across from them downed a shot of sake.

Judging from the shifting glances Shizune was sending the older kunoichi's way though Naruto soon figured that maybe Tsunade had a bit of a...problem with alcohol. This was further proven when the man next to him spoke.

"So you've acquired a taste for that stuff huh, Tsunade? I never took you for the type."

"Time changes everything you old perv, even people, and just because I can turn mountains to rubble doesn't change that." The buxom blonde muttered before shooting back another drink.

"But it doesn't change who you are at the core Tsunade; only you can do that. So unless you've really given up every moral, every principal you hold close I know there's no way you'll really accept Orochimaru's offer."

There was a silence that followed; a tense, uneasy silence. One that was so charged with Tsunade's pain and Jiraiya's desperate hope, that Naruto could almost swear that he could see such emotions pulsing like waves through the air. A silence that was broken by Tsunade's quiet rebuttal.

"And if I have?"

"...Then I'll have no choice but to stop you."

Naruto watched, seconds later, as Tsunade reached over and grabbed her jacket before standing. His sapphire eyes were surprised to see the muscles that moved under her smooth skin, how they gave off a subtle vibe of power without taking away from their owner's womanly features. It made the blonde chunnin curious to see what the legendary Tsunade would be like in combat...and that's how he found himself asking for a match.

"Lady Tsunade, before you go, I'd like to ask if you'll spar with me. I may not look like much to someone of your reputation, but, I'd just...like to see what it's like to fight against the world's greatest kunoichi. Please?"

It was easy to see just how off-guard that question threw each of the three older shinobi at the table, but it was the woman in question who recovered first, and it was with an air of slight dismissal that she answered. "And why would I agree to that? While I appreciate the compliment kid, you said it yourself, I'm the world's greatest kunoichi, one of the Sannin, what sort of chance does a thirteen-year-old chunnin have against me?"

"Maybe none," Naruto complied quickly. "But then, I'll never know unless I try, right?"

Tsunade looked down at her fellow blonde for another moment before her youthful face shifted into a look of amusement, and she shook her head as she conceded. "Alright kid, I'll bite, let's take this outside."

And that's how Naruto found himself standing twenty feet away from Tsunade Senju, in the middle of the street, staring her down with a look of pure focus.

"Lady Tsunade please, don't do this." Shizune pleaded from the sidelines, her mistress' pet pig wrapped in her arms. "What if you hurt him?"

"Then I'll get to see her amazing medic-ninja skills with my own eyes." Naruto intercepted. "Now please, Miss Shizune, don't distract us any further." He finished, his right hand reaching back to grip the handle of his zanbato.

Tsunade watched the young teen tense, readying his body for the match to come, and couldn't help again smirking in amused curiosity. "You're really eager Naruto Uzumaki. Very well then, but before we begin I'll make a bet with you since I'm in such a good mood." Here Tsunade reached down and pulled on the cord resting around her neck. Making sure her sparring partner could see the gem hanging from it, the female Sannin laid out the terms.

"If you beat me, I'll not only come back to the village and become Hokage, but I'll even give you this necklace."

For the second time Shizune's voice rang out, but this time there was an obvious undertone of indignant disbelief in her reprimanding tone. "Lady Tsunade, you can't be serious; you know how valuable that necklace is. And I'm not talking about just its price!"

"Can it Shizune!" Tsunade shot back, her brow furrowed in agitation. "It's my necklace and I'll do what I damn well want with it!" Here she shot Naruto a smug look and continued on, "Besides, it's not like I'm really gonna lose."

"I'd be careful what you say," Jiraiya warned from the other side of the road. "Naruto's a lot more dangerous than he looks."

"Then he should have no problem winning." Tsunade finished the conversation. With her amber eyes locked on her younger adversary, she asked if he was ready to begin.

"You never told me what happens if I lose." The chunnin answered, his body never having relaxed during the earlier exchange of words. "I don't like making bets without knowing the stakes."

Tsunade thought it over for a moment before answering, trying to think of something fare without having the kid owe her anything. Coming to a decision she said, "If you lose then it's my choice whether I come back to the village or not; sound good?"

If possible Naruto's body steeled even further, his muscles straining under his skin."Yes."

"Then let's get started," Tsunade called out. "You're move kid."

To many of his peers, Naruto would have seemed to have vanished in an instant with how quickly he moved into his opening attack, but for Tsunade it was much easier to follow the blonde...after she got over her shock at his speed.

For one so young it was impressive, yet that didn't stop her from being able to turn and catch the blonde's zanbato with her hand. Careful not to rest her palm on the sharp blade, Tsunade looked down at her opponent as her fingertips held his sword like a steel trap.

"The Kubikiribocho huh? I''m interested in how someone so small managed to get their hands on such a weapon, much less manages to swing around." She wondered with an eyebrow raised in a physical show of that intrigue.

"Come back to the Leaf and I'll be more than happy to tell you there." Naruto replied with a grunt. He'd been trying for the last few seconds to free his zanbato, but no matter how hard he pulled the blonde found he could not budge it from between Tsunade's well-manicured fingers. Deciding he would need to free it by force, Naruto put his efforts into pushing off the ground and twisting into a strong kick that he sent at his sparring partner's chest.

Letting go of the kid's sword Tsunade caught the offending foot and retaliated with a punch to his stomach, careful to heavily restrain her strength lest she kill him.

'Nine-Tails jinchuuriki or not, I don't want to test just how much this kid can come back from.' She thought, before her face contorted into a look of annoyance as she watched her punch get caught. 'Okay, so maybe I won't need to hold back all my strength.' This thought was followed by a huff as she dodged Naruto's other leg when he attempted to catch her in the throat.

Flipping his body Naruto worked his way out of Tsunade's hold and landed back on his feet. Flipping his blade so he was again using the flat side, the teenage chunnin went to knock the older kunoichi's feet out from under her. When she swiftly stepped out if his weapon's path Naruto just let his swing continue before driving into the ground, and then heaving himself into the air and launching himself at Tsunade with a look of fierce resolve. In mid-air, the blonde pulled free his ninjato and moved into a spinning slash.

Tsunade dodged away from the swipe, but was shocked when, as she moved to press her own attack, Naruto finished his spin and thrust his empty hand forward. Confusion didn't have time to set in for the beautiful kunoichi before a powerful blast of air smashed into her and blew her off the ground and into the air. Shock quickly gave way to concentration however, and after a quick readjustment Tsunade was landing safely; only for her to roll her eyes at the incoming of not one, but four Naruto's.

"You don't really think such a basic technique will really work against someone like me, do you?" Tsunade scoffed as she readied herself for Naruto's next move. When the first copy got close and jumped into a kick Tsunade made to block it, and smirked when her forearm stopped solid muscle. The Sannin then turned her focus solely on the blonde at her side, and grabbing his leg, pulled back her arm to throw him back across the street.

Only to cry out in pain as she felt a fist bury itself into her stomach!

And then there was the feeling of hands gripping her pig-tails in an effort to pull her head into a rising knee! Realizing that her opponent could actually create solid clones, Tsunade quickly tensed her body and heaved back. The clone, surprised, was left to be destroyed as the blonde kunoichi drove her high-heeled sandal into his chest as he was swung into the air.

But Tsunade wasn't finished. Gritting her teeth, the buxom woman whipped her arm around and bowled over the Naruto that punched her with the copy still held in her grip.

The smoke from the explosion mixed with what was left over from the first clone's destruction, but Tsunade didn't let this draw her away from the last two blonde sword-carrying adversaries still in her sights. Grinning in excitement, the Sannin shifted into a ready position before breaking into a run.

Neither Naruto knew what to expect, but the almost complete loss of their opponent from view had both teens on their guard as two sets of blue eyes strained to keep up with the speedy kunoichi.

When Tsunade came up behind them she was a little surprised to see that, even quarter of her speed they'd managed to keep tabs on her, but the powerful female fighter was coming to understand just why her old team-mate had given her his warning so the shock was short lived. Instead, the woman shot both hands out and chopped the two remaining blondes in the neck...causing them both to explode.

"What!" Tsunade cried out in alarm. She was sure that one of them was the real Naruto, but seeing the proof right in front of her the Sannin was soon whipping her head around in an effort to catch a glimpse of her younger opponent.

It was Tsunade's sharp hearing, honed by years of intense battle, that caught the incoming sound of her sparring partner as he came down like a hawk at her. Turning her gaze skyward she caught Naruto's form as he dove down, arm cocked back to deliver what would surely be a knockout punch to anyone who didn't see it coming.

Unfortunately for the young chunnin, Tsunade did, and was more than ready to defend against it. Shifting her body, Tsunade leaned out of the path of Naruto's attack before reaching out and gripping both his forearm as well as the hem of his high-collard shirt.

"You'll have to do better than that!" She taunted before hurling the younger blonde through the air. However, instead of giving him time to recover, Tsunade quickly followed after Naruto to continue her attack.

"Not if I was hoping you'd do that," Naruto shot back with a grin. He had managed to angle his body, and was just now getting his hand around the grip for his zanbato that had been left in the ground. Letting the momentum of Tsunade's throw carry him the blonde pulled his blade from the earth and whipped around in a powerful swing once his feet touched down on the dirt road.

Tsunade saw the attack coming, and deciding to end the match before they drew any serious attention put on a burst of speed to dodge around it. Zipping around the blade Tsunade laughed quietly to herself at the look of pure disbelief on Naruto's face, right before shooting behind him locking him in an arm bar.

Smiling playfully at the younger blonde's attempts to free himself, Tsunade congratulated her sparring partner on a job well done. "You lasted much longer than I expected, and you showed that you definitely deserve that vest, but you've still got a long way to go before being a real challenge to someone like me kid."

With that she released Naruto and took a step back to look at him properly. The female Sannin was interested to see that he wasn't even breathing hard, let alone showing any signs of strain. In fact, the only way she was sure they'd just sparred was the look of discomfort on the young teen's face at having lost. Watching his return his zanbato to its sheath did remind Tsunade of a question she had however.

"How do you move so fast with that thing slung over your shoulder? I wasn't expecting such speed in the beginning of our little match."

"I train, a lot." Was Naruto's short reply, before further explaining what made him different from others his age. "Most of the other genin in my class don't take this life as seriously as I do, even if I myself didn't either at first. I had someone open my eyes a few months ago though, they showed me that in order to achieve my dream I had to be serious about it, and really work hard. You got to see a little bit of the results tonight Lady Tsunade, and I'm happy to hear just that small amount has impressed someone like you."

By now the group was walking together to find a suitable inn to spend the night at. Side-by-side, Tsunade brought up another question about their match that had confused her. "What about that trick with your clones; did you make them and then leap into the air, or what?"

"No, I was one of the four that came at you." Naruto clarified. "You blocked my kick, but when you threw me into the first clone that's when I used the smoke cloud created by its destruction to jump."

"And that technique you hit me with; the shot of air?"

"It's a jutsu I practiced extensively, the Great-Breakthrough. I wanted at least one jutsu in my arsenal that didn't need hand-signs, to act as a trump card or surprise for any of my enemies." Naruto explained.

Hearing this Tsunade balked, her amber eyes opening wide in both shock as well as awe. Most ninja never learned how to do a jutsu without hand-signs, many never putting in the extra effort after mastering how to activate the technique, and yet here was a thirteen-year-old chunnin who had managed to succeed in doing so with a C-ranked ninjutu. "What else can you do?"

Naruto laughed good-naturdely before saying, "Sorry, but the only thing I'll talk about is what you saw in our spar. If you wanna know more you'll need to become Hokage and look at my file; I can't just go around telling all my secrets to a stranger, right?"

"I suppose not," Tsunade rolled her eyes playfully. As silence once again filled the air though the older kunoichi couldn't help but study the young boy beside her from the corner of her eye. Everything from the way he carried himself, to the way he dressed, were all so different from what she'd been expecting from someone so young. Even she was a bit of a spoiled princess during her genin days, yet here Naruto Uzumaki was spitting in the face of that stereotype.

'Although, he did say there was a time he was looking at the world through kid glasses. I wonder, who it was that changed his outlook on life? And...what about this dream of his?'

That last thought came as a halted curiosity; one tinted with the poison of trepidation. Eyeing the promising young shinobi Tsunade felt a pang as the image of her little brother replaced the young blonde. They really did look similar when she got a good look at Naruto. But, just because they looked the same didn't mean...he couldn't want that too, right?

"Naruto...what is your dream? You mentioned it before, but didn't actually say what it was."

The words were spoken with a heavy tone, yet there was a hesitance that laced the question as well. As if Tsunade was worried about what the answer would be. This was something that Naruto himself didn't understand, so he answered her question without much second thought.

"Well, technically I have two, although when I think about it they can be fulfilled at the same time. The first is to honor and surpass the man who opened my eyes by becoming the next Demon of the Mist, and second is to become Hokage."

Hearing the first part of the blonde's dream gave Tsunade hope, although the name of the man Naruto revered threw her for a loop. He idolized Zabuza Momochi!? However, those thoughts were thrown out the window and left to the wind upon hearing that he wanted to be Hokage. Those words caused Tsunade to stop in her tracks, her body tightening into a rigid stance as her eyes glazed over for the briefest of seconds.

Naruto noticed this, and even managed to see the look of pain Shizune sent the older woman's way before prodding the still Sannin. "Hey, Lady Tsunade, what's wrong?"

"You...want to be Hokage?" She whispered, ignoring and yet at the same time answering Naruto's question.

"That's right; I want to be able to protect everybody important to me, and the best way to do that is by becoming the strongest ninja in the village."

"...and here I thought you were different." Tsunade admonished in a defeated tone. Her head hung low, allowing her face to be shadowed by the night and letting her eyes glow under the light of the moon. Sighing, the female Sannin began to move again, hey gaze fixed on an inn just a few feet ahead.

Standing still, stuck in his confusion, Naruto looked from the retreating form of Tsunade back to Jiraiya and Shizune. He could see that they too had differing masks of discomfort and pity on their faces, and this only served to increase his curiosity. "What did she mean, what did I say?"

"It's not you, Naruto." Shizune reassured the young blonde. "Lady Tsunade's just been through a lot. Please understand, and don't take it personally, okay?"

With that the young medic-ninja walked on, following her mistress into the inn she'd chosen for the night, and leaving Naruto more confused than ever. It was as Jiraiya was passing him that the chunnin realized the rest of the group had already moved on, so the young blonde shook his head and followed behind.

"Shizune's right Naruto," the white-haired Sage reiterated in a strong tone. "What you just saw is exactly what Orochimaru is hoping to take advantage of tomorrow, it's not anything you did. What you said however was unfortunately a trigger for those bad memories."

"What happened?" It was the only thing Naruto could ask as he and his mission partner finished checking into the motel and started moving towards the stairs.

"Unfortunately, that's not a story I'm allowed to tell you, you'll have to get Tsunade to explain her past if you really wanna know. However I'm sure you've realized, that doing that is easier said than done. For now though don't worry too much about it; it's Orochimaru and his little side-kick we need to be concerned about. Tomorrow promises to be a big day, and I need you to be ready."

With that the rest of their walk was spent in silence, one that stretched on until Jiraiya finally went to sleep.

Naruto on the other hand was unable to find such a comfort, and instead sat up with his his body standing by the lone window. His azure eyes scanned the strip of Tanzaku Town he could see from his room but found nothing to keep his focus on, so it once again drifted to thoughts of Tsunade and her obvious pain.

Seeing anyone in such a state of torment let a terrible taste in Naruto's mouth and caused his gut to twist, but when it was someone who seemed as nice as the female Sannin or as innocent as Isaribi those feelings intensified ten-fold. It reminded him too much of his own pain.

Life was cruel, Naruto now understood this, and yet he still chose to believe that certain people should be spared the universe's unflinching cruelty if they themselves had done nothing to deserve such horrors.

It was this belief, coupled with his innate need to help those in pain, that lead to Naruto leaving his room and following after Tsunade as he watched her leave the inn.

xXx

A/N:

Minato is an orphan, and as such would be open to Danzo's Root recruitment. I feel like Danzo scouts these orphans as they enter the ninja academy to see who shows any sort of promise, so with Minato being a prodigy there would be no way he wouldn't attract Danzo's attention. So while he wouldn't formally adopt the orphan, Danzo would still approach him and trick Minato into becoming part of his organization. Then, once he had him, he would commence with brainwashing just like with all the others.

So Minato is not evil in this story, just a puppet.